As Africa grapples with an alarming rise in public health emergencies, there is an urgent call for the continent to reduce its reliance on external support and strengthen domestic health financing systems. Recent reports have revealed a troubling 41 percent increase in disease outbreaks over the past two years, signaling deep-rooted vulnerabilities in Africa’s health infrastructure.
Between 2022 and 2024, the number of disease outbreaks across Africa surged from 152 to 213. This significant increase has placed overwhelming pressure on already fragile health systems, exposing the continent’s limited capacity to manage health crises in a timely and effective manner. The health challenges range from viral outbreaks like mpox and Marburg virus to the persistent threat of cholera, which has affected numerous countries.
Compounding the crisis is a dramatic drop in international financial support for Africa’s health sector. Official development assistance has declined by a staggering 70 percent between 2021 and 2025. This sharp fall in external aid has left countries struggling to finance essential health services and emergency responses. In addition, over 90 percent of the continent’s vaccines, medicines, and diagnostic tools are imported, making Africa acutely vulnerable to global supply chain disruptions.
The implications of inaction are severe. If these issues are not addressed urgently, projections suggest that Africa could face between two to four million additional preventable deaths annually. Moreover, an estimated 39 million people could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to the intertwined impacts of health crises and economic shocks.
To prevent such outcomes, there is a strong push for African countries to prioritize domestic health financing and develop more resilient health systems. This includes investing in the local manufacturing of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics to reduce external dependency. Strengthening public health infrastructure, from laboratories to surveillance systems, is also critical in enabling faster and more effective responses to emerging threats.
In response to the growing challenges, the Africa CDC has outlined key strategic priorities aimed at transforming the continent’s public health landscape. These include enhancing integrated health systems, promoting early warning and disease surveillance, fortifying national public health institutes, improving laboratory networks, and ensuring comprehensive emergency preparedness and response mechanisms.
The Africa CDC has played a pivotal role in managing several health emergencies across the continent in 2024. It has supported over 20 countries dealing with mpox outbreaks and played a central role in responding to the Marburg virus in Rwanda. Additionally, it has provided critical assistance to 15 countries facing cholera outbreaks.
Despite the daunting challenges, there is momentum building toward a more self-reliant, sustainable, and secure health future for Africa. The emphasis on local solutions, increased public health investments, and coordinated regional efforts highlights a growing recognition of the need to reshape Africa’s health narrative. By investing in domestic capabilities and reducing external dependencies, African countries can better protect their populations, withstand future health shocks, and safeguard decades of public health progress.
